The Xiaomi company is sometimes called the "Apple of China," because the Beijing-based company is first and foremost known for its design work on mobile devices and consumer electronics gear. But the company – now one of the world's leading smartphone manufacturers – also offers another example of how a firm focused on innovation in technology transfers its experience, and evolves to bring other products and services to market.

The company might be as much like Google as Apple, because it's no secret that they are interested in transportation as well. When Xiaomi teased its new transport offering, it turned out to be a lightweight electric scooter made out of aircraft grade aluminium alloy. The electric scooter is designed for more sustainable commuter transport in China's crowded urban spaces, but the scooter is also a fun way to get around.

What's unique about the Mi Electric Scooter is its portability, which it owes to the aluminium materials used to build it. The weight is just 12.5 kilograms, for an adult-sized scooter with a chassis that measures 87.5 millimeters high. The scooter also foldable – just press a button, and it folds in three seconds – so that it is easy and compact, ready to pick up and take on the bus, or carry up the stairs or elevator for storage in the apartment.

The scooter is geared toward the active lifestyle, and can zip around at a top speed of 25 kilometers per hour, although there is also an energy saving mode that maxes out at 18 kmph. That's essentially a range of 30 kilometers, according to the specs, powered by an LG 1850 EV-lithium ion battery with a battery capacity of 280Wh. It takes about five hours to achieve a full charge and be back on the street again.

Other features include E-ABS anti-lock braking system present at the front wheel while the double disc braking system ensures proper braking within four meters. It also comes with a Kinetic Energy Recovery System that converts kinetic energy to electrical energy to charge the battery.

What's really interesting about the Xiaomi scooter, though, is that it connects to the owner or rider's smartphone via Bluetooth. The user can keep track of speed, remaining battery life and other data.

The same company released an electric bicycle last summer, and the Qi Cycle is quickly gaining popularity in the Philippines, India and other Asian markets. It works with many of the same features: it is made with an aluminium alloy and is also foldable, rechargeable, and designed to connect with a smartphone app.

Yet what both products demonstrate is a critical need for climate-friendly transport alternatives in the heavily populated urban centers of the developing world. For young professionals in Quezon City or New Delhi, and certainly in Beijing where environmentally friendly alternatives are needed to improve air quality and health, the fun and freedom of the bike or scooter is preferable to carbon-heavy vehicles.

One real advantage of these sporty hybrids is how they connect to visions for more walkable and human-scale environments. The bicycle, for example, allows the riders to use no electric power at all, or to add a boost when encountering hills, or to just go fully powered without any real physical exertion on their part. By using the lightweight aluminium materials, coupled with power options that do not rely on fossil fuels and other features, the bikes and scooters also represent a new alternative for mobility.